What Really Happened to Dimitri?
by syfycris
Summary: This is really just a theory that I had about what really happened to Dimitri. From Dimitri's Point of View. This is my first attempt at a fanfic. Should I finish it? Richelle Mead own all characters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Request

"Guardian Belikov, we have had this conversation before, " Alberta said, clearly full of agitation. "I don't understand why you continue to make this request. I was under the impression that you were very fond of Princess Dragomir."

"I am, but –" What can I possibly tell her that will convince her that I need to be reassigned? Guardian Petrov, I'm in love with Rosemarie Hathaway and I am afraid that if Lissa and Rose are attacked by Strigoi, I will save Rose and let Lissa fend for herself.  
Rose has already been put through enough since she returned by Mia and her cronies, as well as Mason's death and now her apparent mistake this afternoon, she doesn't need to have rumors spreading about her and her mentor too.

"The only way that Princess Dragomir will receive an alternate guardian is if either you or Novice Hathaway are unavailable. And if this bizarre behavior of Rose's continues, that just might happen--regardless of her molnija marks."

Obviously, this conversation was over.

I left Alberta's office, feeling just as hopeless as I had the first time we had had this conversation. I had just left Rose at the medical clinic for the third time in two months. While the first two visits were minor, the last made me realize that I couldn't deny my feelings for her any longer. As soon as I realized there was a Strigoi on the grounds, I rushed to find her. To my surprise Natalie had nearly finished Rose off. She was in a heap on the floor, struggling to remain conscious. The sight of her lying like that caused a fury to run through me. I staked Natalie in record time, and rushed over to check on Rose. As I carried Rose to the medical clinic I was so frantic to keep her awake, that I admitted how much I wanted her and why I tried so hard to fight it. I could see the hurt on her face and it pained me to know that I had caused that, and at that moment I realized that it was too late. I had already let myself fall in love with her. There was no way I could continue to be Lissa's guardian.

Rose comes first, no matter how hard I continue to try to fight it, I can't.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The Informant

Rose comes first! Rose comes first! That is what I keep telling myself as I anticipate the ambush that is about to take place. I hope Janine gets Rose out of here before she realizes that I am not going to be making it back to the Academy with everyone else.

The idea came about in a meeting early this morning before we knew where the Strigoi were hiding. In my usual debriefing with Alberta about how Rose warned me about the Strigoi, we discussed the needed to have a man on the inside.  
"We need someone to report back on how the Strigoi are suddenly able to cooperate and recruit humans," I said heatedly. "The warning that we got last night was a huge asset in our fight to save the student population. It is getting far too dangerous for Moroi and Dhampirs." Far too dangerous for Rose, I thought. "The way the Strigoi infiltrated St. Vladimir's, and last year's attacks on the royal families, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the safety of everyone is at risk." I had become so passionate in my rant that I didn't even realize that I was pounding my fist on her desk, until she reached down and placed her hand over mine to make me stop.

"So how do we get someone in?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said defeated.

So when Rose said she thought she could find out where the Strigoi were hiding, I told Alberta that the informant plan might be a go and that I would fill her in on everything when I returned with Rose.

Although Mason's warning to Rose had saved many Dhampir and Moroi last night, I was a bit skeptical when Rose returned from outside the gates, where she appeared to be talking to thin air, pointing to a location on the map in the middle of nowhere. There was no way the Strigoi could be staying outside in the middle of nowhere during human daylight hours. However upon further discussion with some of the older Guardians, we were told that there were a series of large caves in that area. Caves large enough to house many more Strigoi than what had showed up at the academy last night.

When we returned I told Rose to wait in the hallway while I talked to Alberta alone. In the privacy of Alberta's office we established a plan for me to infiltrate the Strigoi. She gave me several boxes of red contact lenses, and a cell phone with a tracking device that I could also use to report information to her.  
As I turned to walk out the door, she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this, Dimitri?"

"Not really, but the risk to Moroi and Dhampirs has grown too much." I replied. "Something has to be done." It's the only way I can be with Rose, I thought.

"You realize that you will be completely on your own. No one will know that you truly are not Strigoi, except me. And if anything happens to endanger your safety, I can't send anyone after you. You are completely on your own. It has to be that way. We are no longer sure of who we can trust. The dynamics of our community is experiencing too much change."

"I know," I replied, "and if we are lucky, it will be for the better."

The blond Strigoi hit me just as I suspected he would. He pulled me to the ground, grappling with me pinning me to the ground, and just as his fangs grazed my neck I jabbed the broken stake I'd hidden into his heart. His blood splattered across my face and neck as his head lurched up, eyes wide and soulless. And then I heard Rose's agonized scream.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Alone

A stream of Russian obscenities flooded my thoughts as Janine started to turn back. Why didn't she just get Rose out of here? But five more Strigoi chased her away, regret marring her face as she retreated. In all of the chaos I was able to hide in the shadows long enough to place the contacts in my eyes. I could hear Stan and Janine fight with Rose as her hysterical sobs ripped at my heart.

"He is dead, Rose!" Janine shouted. "We can't go back in."

Rose sobbing over and over again, "He's in there. Dimitri is in there. We can't leave him! I promised!" I could feel the pain in her words, and wanted to let her know that I was all right, but I couldn't risk her knowing the truth. She wouldn't let me go alone, and I had to do this alone. I won't let anything happen to her.

A few seconds later I heard a slap, and Janine yell again, "Run! He is dead! You are not going to join him! RUN!" And then I heard the steady rants of the surviving Strigoi as the guardians retreated.

Oh Roza, my Roza! Please forgive me for causing you so much pain. I love you. Please understand that this is the only way that we can be together safely, I thought as I hid trying to compose myself enough to start acting like a newly created Strigoi. How am I ever going to get through this? Clutching my hands together with such strength I felt the gold band that my mother had given to me before I came to America cut into my finger. Inscribed in black around the band was "Ti ne odna. Pomni, ya vsеgda ryadom." Rose had traced her finger around the band over and over again just last night asking me what it meant as we lay together in the cabin holding one another after making love for the first, and possibly, only time.

"It says, 'You are not alone. Remember, I'm always next to you,'" I told her.

I knew the guardians would return tomorrow to retrieve all of the fallen guardians and Moroi, so I quickly took off the ring and left it where I had been attacked, before I joined the now retreating Strigoi. Hopefully Rose would find it when she returned.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Escape

Under the cover of darkness we left the caves, heading away from St. Vladimir's. Thank god, I thought, the school and all its remaining occupants are all safe. My Roza is safe. We traveled quickly, running all the way, following the exact route that Mason had pointed out to Rose on the map. Just before sunrise we made it to a long line of vehicles hidden in the woods along the dirt road that joined the interstate. In their haste to escape from being attacked again by St. Vladimir's Guardians, no one had noticed that I had joined them.

Including me, 17 Strigoi had survived the attacks on St. Vladimir's Academy and the retaliation attack by the schools guardian, which means they lost more than ¾ of the Strigoi that made the trip to the caves. There was a Strigoi man and woman who appeared to be the leaders because when we got to the row of vehicles they started dividing us up into groups of five or six. I immediately got in the car with them, thinking that I would learn more information this way.

We climbed into the vehicles, and sped away. My adrenaline was in a fury. Sitting here in the car, with them, while I let them flee from attacking the school, went against everything that I had been taught. It was all I could do to keep from staking every single one of the Strigoi in the vehicle with me. Every ounce of control that I had managed to create over the years was in full force. I kept telling myself that I needed to find out how they were working together, so that we could defeat them.

I watched the four Strigoi within the confines of the vehicle, assessing their appearance, trying to determine if any of them had been turned recently. None of them appeared to be very old. And all of them appeared to have been human before being awakened except the leaders. Now that I think about it, the oldest of all 16 Strigoi are the two leaders in the front seat, one a former Moroi, and the other, a former Dhampir. This doesn't make any sense. Strigoi don't get along in large groups, especially those who have been recently awakened. I tried to make out what the leaders were saying, but between their hushed tones and noise from the vehicle, there was no hope, so I concentrated on the two remaining Strigoi in the car. Their eyes were red, and they had chalky white skin.

Shit the skin, Alberta and I hadn't thought of that. I quickly adverted my eyes, dropping my face slightly trying not to let my emotions play across my face. Then I remembered that new Strigoi still have a slight coloring in their skin, and I was supposed to be newer than these two. That, combined with the dust from the cave floor, made my skin coloring unnoticeable at the moment, but I would definitely have to get something to alleviate this--soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 In Charge

It has been over a week since the attack on St. Vladimir's Academy. After our escape we traveled to a small rural Russian town near the Dhampir commune that my family lives in and near the Academy where I underwent my guardian training. We are staying with a young human couple, and two other Strigoi males. The house is set up as a training camp with fighting arenas and murals of Moroi family trees. The humans seem to be under some type of compulsion spell, and the rest of the Strigoi are cooperating peacefully, but according to all of my training, this doesn't make sense. Strigoi are very territorial making it difficult for them to get along, let alone work together. And they aren't supposed to be able to use magic.

I also found out that the two leaders on the attack at St. Vladimir's were none other than the former instructor Ms. Sonya Karp, and the former St. Vladimir's Guardian Mikhail Tanner. Mikhail hunted Sonya after she turned Strigoi. No one believed that she could have done that, but she had lost her sanity as a result of being a spirit user. While one of the doctors was tending to her, she killed him and injured may others in her escape. When Mikhail caught her, she reminded him of the love they shared. He realized he couldn't kill her, nor could she live without him. They knew about the caves and the grounds of the academy. Guardian Tanner would have known the schedule for maintaining the wards, and when it would be a good time to penetrate the grounds.

When we got to the house, Sonya and Mikhail immediately assessed my fighting style. It was hard not to kill the Strigoi I was sparring with, but I knew that I needed to maintain my cover. It would only be a matter of time before I could take them out. They soon found out that there wasn't much they needed to teach me having been a guardian.

Feeding had turned out to be an easier task than what I had thought it would be. I didn't have to hunt, like Moroi they kept feeders on hand. They believed that this would help them stay inconspicuous. Also, Strigoi bites are much more potent than Moroi bites. The euphoric phase lingers in the human much longer than with a Moroi bite, rendering them nearly incoherent, and the older the Strigoi, the stronger the effects. I set up my "feedings" so that they always followed Sonya or Mikhail's, that way I could use the euphoria they invoked to my advantage, only needing to place my mouth to their throat and make slurping noises just in case someone passed by.

I had rounded the corner in the basement from my daily "fake a feeding" and was just about to head up the stairs when I heard Sonya on the phone.  
"We lost over 100 of the new Strigoi we created last fall in that failed attempt on St. Vladimir's," She spat into the receiver.  
Yeah and Rose and Christian took out a third of them, I thought during her silence while she listened to the person on the other end of the line.  
"I don't know what the hell happened!" she yelled. "Somehow they knew we were coming. They had been warned. Maybe that Zelkos kid told them!"  
What? Students are helping the Strigoi.  
"I know you had him under a spell, but spells break!" she retorted. "Especially when they can't be maintained!"  
"What, there is no way that we can attack again. We have to rebuild our forces, and train. There are only 19 of us now, and that includes the two humans and the two new recruits from St. Vladimir's. Also there's the fact that we don't have the knowledge of the Russian academy like we had of St. Vladimir's."  
There was a quick response on the other end of the phone, and then it went dead. She slammed the phone shut, and threw it across the room.

I've got to get a message to Alberta, I thought as a headed up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Revelation

I waited until all of the Strigoi and humans were asleep. This proved to be difficult given that the humans could move about at any time of day just like me. Only the Strigoi were contained by the darkness. I had a small window where the two schedules overlapped in the early human hours, and I took that opportunity to go out to courtyard to report what I found out to Alberta.

The phone rang, one, two, three times, and then she picked up the phone. "Dimitri?"  
"Yes, Guardian Petrov."  
"I was worried, it has been over a week. I was beginning to think that they really had turned you."  
"No, I'm still me. Listen, Alberta, I don't have very much time so please listen carefully. They are planning an attack at the Russian Academy. Karp and Tanner headed the attack on St. Vladimir."  
"What? Sonya and Mikhail!" she said dumbfounded.  
"Alberta, please." I said hastily, but not letting the disruption keep me from getting to the point. "They aren't in charge. They are answering to someone else. I heard Sonya on the phone--"  
"Who?" Alberta broke in again.  
"I don't know. I only know that he's not Strigoi."  
"Not Strigoi? How do you know?"  
"He can do magic."  
"Oh my god, Dimitri, a Moroi. A Moroi is attacking other Royal families, and their children?"  
"Not only that. They penetrated the Academy before the attack. Jesse was apparently under a spell. I think that is why he started the Mâna˘ group. You need to find out what is going on. Talk to Rose, she has a theory about the damaged wards and Jesse's group."  
"Rose is gone, Dimitri." Alberta said. It hit me like a ton of bricks. She was safe. I heard her leave.  
"What?" I could hear the terror and concern in my voice. "She didn't get injured in the cave, and we left right after that. How?"  
"She wasn't hurt, Dimitri. She left the academy. She quit on her eighteenth birthday."  
"How could you let her leave? Especially after how she had fought the night of the attack and in the caves." I couldn't believe this was happening.  
"I didn't have a choice. She was gone before I was ever notified. Kirova tried to stop her, but Rose wouldn't change her mind."  
"I bet!" I retorted. "Kirova has been trying to get rid of Rose since I brought her back last fall."  
"Dimitri, I have never heard you say such things about a superior. What is going on here?" Alberta asked with an obvious curiosity in her voice.  
"I—I—I have never seen another novice so well suited for this job." I quickly replied. "Her knowledge far exceeds that of other novices, and even some guardians that are twice her age. She was the reason for our success the other night, and you just let her walk away. Why would she leave before she had finished her training? Who went with her?"  
"No one. She went alone." Alberta's words were like a stake through my heart. She left and she was alone.  
And then I remembered the conversation from the van on the way to Missoula.  
"If I became Strigoi…I would want someone to kill me." Rose had said.  
"So would I." I had said quietly.  
Rose is coming to kill me.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 New Recruits

The sun was starting to glimmer in the distant horizon, so I quickly told Alberta about the conversation Rose and I had had on the way to Missoula last fall. I convinced her that I knew that Rose was coming after me, not because of our love, which is what I knew was really behind this, but because of her dedication to becoming the best guardian she could be. Alberta agreed to try to find Rose, but with her having a three-day head start, she was not sure how successful she could be. After the phone call I made my way back to my room before the humans woke up. Where could Rose possibly be? What if she comes here to find my family? This was turning out to be a huge mess.

That evening Sonya announced that we would be infiltrating the Russian Academy in three weeks. Therefore we needed to start gaining recruits so that they could be properly trained. Given that the Russian academy is considerably smaller, it was decided that we would only need between 20 to 30 new recruits. The town we are near had just started the Maslenitsa celebration. Maslenitsa, also known as Pancake Week, is a traditional celebration to mark the start of spring. Many people were out and about despite the still freezing temperatures and Sonya and Mikhail decided this would be an excellent opportunity to acquire new recruits without drawing too much attention to the strange disappearances. As much as it repulsed me to be a part of hunting people down and turning them into monsters, I volunteered to go with the two Strigoi that would be hunting tonight. I can't risk not being along if Rose is in Russia. Sonya gave me a questioning gaze, given that I was so new, but once she took in my shear size she replied, "Despite being young, he has Dhampir training. He already knows how to fight. He will discipline himself against the hunger and his size will help you. Take him!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this chapter is so short and doesn't offer much excitement, but i wanted to give you a little bit of background about the festival. Besides, I can't let Rose and Dimitri meet up quite yet. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. Keep telling me whether you want me to continue with it.  
**

Chapter 8 Maslenitsa

We arrived at the Maslenitsa festival shortly after dusk, and I was immediately filled with memories of celebrations from my childhood. When I was young, living in the Dhampir commune, the government frowned upon such religious festivals so most families would have small private celebrations.

Mom and grandma would get up early on the first day and spend the whole time making blini (Russian pancakes). The blini were meant to symbolize the sun—being warm, round, and golden—shutting the door on winter. They also represented the foods we would be denied during the approaching fast when we would avoid all things made from animals. As I got older, and we were granted more freedoms, the celebrations became small community gatherings encouraging friendship and togetherness. By the time I became a teenager, Maslenitsa celebrations became full-fledged festivals again, resembling Louisiana's Mardi Gras celebration. Thousands of people would flood the city. Mom said it was just an excuse to get drunk, eat a lot, and fight. Remembering back, now I know, she was right.

Unfortunately, Sonya was right too. Today is "Rowdy Thursday." As a teenager, we always thought this day was the most fun of the festival, but tonight it is going to be the most dangerous. I scanned the crowd. It was full of humans, and Moroi and Dhampirs; but thankfully no Rose. Even though I long to see her again, I am happy that she will not fall prey to these two tonight. The Strigoi were also scanning the crowd. They were sizing up the people, trying to decide who would be a good asset, and whom they could get to just satiate their thirst. I was disgusted. Just then a Moroi man and his guardian passed in the crowd about 30 feet in front of us. The Moroi was shorter than me (most Morio were despite their tendency to be tall) and lean, but considerably older than the teenagers I had been guarding at the academy. He was probably close to 40 and dressed like he was a Royal. Why he didn't have two guardians puzzled me, but I couldn't focus on that. I was caught off guard. Something about him was familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He had tanned skin for a Moroi, dark hair, and dark eyes. Eyes I have seen before. I shook off the feeling and focused on his guardian. His guardian was tall and muscular. He was closer to my age, maybe two or three years older than me. He was acting as the near guard, scanning the crowd, but still not noticing us.

The two Strigoi smiled intently, "We have our first victims," they said slyly, in unison, as they started toward the crowd.

The two Strigoi smiled intently, "We have our first victims," they said slyly, in unison, as they started toward the crowd.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok guys, here's another chapter to the story. I wanted to explain a little about the Maslenitsa celebration. I wanted to find some kind of celebration in the spring that would be like a carnival for part of the storyline, but that also might give you another glimpse of Dimitir's childhood. So I searched the internet. As I read more about it, it didn't quite fit the way I had intended, but acts as a great backdrop for hiding some of the Strigoi bodies--you'll understand what I mean as you read through it, as well as provides a great way for them to fight openly. Also I had an idea of who the mytsery man was going to be, but it almost seemed too predictable, so I am thinking about placing a slight twist on it now. I am not sure if I like how this chapter turned out, so if you hate, please tell me so I can try to make it better.**

Chapter 9 Royal Slip

Although the two Strigoi had correctly targeted two potentially strong prey to awaken, they still had a disadvantage—they were former humans. This meant they lacked the knowledge and training the Moroi Royal and the Dhampir had experienced. Also, even though they had exceptional speed, they would be very clumsy. Knowing their disadvantages, I let them lead the way, hoping that they would make enough mistakes that I could help the lone guardian protect his charge without being detected.

I glanced over at the guardian, who was still oblivious to the fact that he was about to be ambushed. Wake up and do your job dumbass, I thought. Almost on cue the guardian detected the approaching Strigoi. We were at the edge of the crowd near one of many bonfires spread throughout the festival. The guardian placed his hand on the hilt of his stake, watching as the Strigoi positioned themselves for the attack. With more speed than any human in the crowd could have imagined both Strigoi leapt at the guardian in unison. Their bodies collided with a deafening thud, but not before knocking the guardian to the ground. He scrambled to get up and unsheathe his stake, keeping a weary eye on the Royal Moroi behind him. I moved toward the Moroi, in hopes of whisking him away from the Strigoi if necessary, as the larger of the two Strigoi nodded at me and lunged at the guardian. Detecting the frontal attack, the guardian planted a roundhouse kick to the Strigoi's chest. The Strigoi staggered backward losing his footing and raking his fingers down the chest of the Strigoi behind him, causing a tiny medallion around his neck to fall to the ground. At once the smaller Strigoi wavered, his eyes glazed over with a cold evil of the undead. In his enraged state he hit the other Strigoi with such a blow that he was thrown twenty feet into the air causing his body to land in the nearby bonfire. The Strigoi's body writhed in the fire as the flames licked his skin scorching his soulless flesh. His howls echoed those of the passersby who unwittingly cheered the scene, thinking it was nothing more than the Maslenitsa effigy that is ceremoniously burned during each celebration.

The remaining Strigoi turned to face the guardian, as his cold eyes bore into him, I knew that I had to get the Moroi Royal out of here. If the guardian failed, the Moroi would be lost for sure. I had to make this believable, but how could I conceivably attack a Moroi Royal? The only other time I had attacked a Moroi was when my dad was beating my mom. I turned to face him, and the Moroi's eyes met mine. His fear engulfed me as I realized he was staring into the eyes of what he thought was a six foot seven inch Strigoi. I let his fear play as an asset, as I charged him with well-placed blows. Blows that would cause the body to flail in inhuman ways, but that would leave little permanent damage. Once I had him properly subdued, I seized the opportunity and whisked the Royal Moroi away from the remaining Strigoi attacker.

We had gotten four blocks away before the Moroi Royal was fully conscious again.

I set him down and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Why do you care? You are only going to kill me anyway!" the Moroi said.

" I am not going to kill you. I am not what you think." I replied.

He studied my actions, but never answered. I took that as a "yes." I couldn't shake that familiar feeling. I knew that I needed to get back, but I asked my next question anyway hoping to gain some information about who he was. "As a Royal you should have two guardians. The guardian you had with you is worse than most novices, so where is your other guardian?"

The Moroi, still regarding me as a threat, said, "I do—I did until she quit."

"Quit? What the hell? First Rose leaves the academy and now guardians are quitting? Why am I even doing this?" I blurted my thoughts as quickly as I thought them and immediately regretted it.

A shocked expression spread across the Moroi's face as he replied, "Rose, you know Rose Hathaway? And just what the hell are you doing?"


	10. Chapter 10

**OK guys, here is another chapter. It's pretty short. I have been going through the other chapters, and found some mistakes in terms of numbers, as well as added a couple of tidbits here and there. There isn't anything major, but I did explain how Dimitri fakes his feeding. Thanks for all of the reviews.**

Chapter 10

A score of Russian obscenities burst from my mouth, as the Moroi continued to look at me full of curiosity. I knew that I had just blown my cover. There was no way he was still going to believe that I was a Strigoi. I grabbed him, covering his mouth, before he could say another word and ran as fast as I could toward the Dhampir commune where I grew up. This was the only place that I could think of where we could speak safely. He struggled against me, more out of curiosity rather than fear. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you keep struggling against me and continue to draw attention to us, I will have to subdue you again," I said firmly.

He relaxed, and so I released my hold. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.

"Someplace safe," I replied.

When we got to the commune, we wound our way from street to street. My mother's house was located near the back of the commune on a quiet cul-de-sac. The house was a white four-bedroom house. Boy was it a sight for sore eyes. It appeared to be small from the outside. By American standards, it was small, but for our family it was just right. The front door opened into the small sitting room and behind it was an eat-in kitchen. To the right of the sitting room was a hallway that led to the four bedrooms and the only bathroom. My mother and grandmother each had their own bedroom, while my sisters shared a room, and I had my own room as well. As we walked up to the house through the front courtyard, I could see the faint silhouettes of five people through the sitting room window. I could hear the murmur of hushed voices and smell the scent of blini in the air. As I knocked on the door, I could only hope that my family hadn't heard of my false fate.

The discussion ceased and slow determined footsteps led to the door. Slowly the door opened to the sight of my sister's shocked expression, "Oh my god it's Dimiti!" And then she slammed the door in my face.


	11. Chapter 11

**OK guys, here is another cliff hanger for you. Some of you will be ready to kill me after you read this, but you will have to continue to read the next chapter to find out what happens next.**

Chapter 11

I could hear a flurry of activity in the house, which I assumed could have only been my mother, grandmother, and sisters scrambling to retrieve their weapons.

"Shit! They think I'm Strigoi!" I spat at the Moroi Royal.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?" the Royal yelled back at me.

"We have to go, " I yelled as I grabbed the Moroi to make a run for it.

The door burst open dangling on its hinges. Instinctively I thrust myself in front of him allowing myself to accept the brunt of the attack. My body instantly adopted a defensive stature guarding the Moroi as my mind reeled with the weight of trying to convince my family that I was not Strigoi before they could stake me.

Shock spread over my body as my eyes focused on the figure standing in the doorway. Rose was wearing black skinny leg jeans and a fitted V-neck burgundy T-shirt with a black lacy camisole underneath. Over the T-shirt she had on a black, leather, multi-pocketed riding jacket and her feet bore stout, but sexy, black boots. From the way that the clothes clung to her magnificent body, I could tell that she had lost some weight since I last saw her. Her hair was tied up in a cropped ponytail exposing her neck with its two molnija marks and the star representing the mark of many kills in battle. And her beautiful brown eyes were rimmed in red, indicating that she had recently been crying. Immediately my hand reached toward her delicate cheek as I softly whispered, "Oh, Roza." I wanted take her in my arms and never let her go again.

"Do not call me that!" Rose said forcefully. "You have no right to refer to me by that name."

The harshness of her words bit at my consciousness, and I immediately responded, "What? Rose, I know why you're here, but you can't. You need to listen to me. It's not--"

She cut me off, "It's not what? It's not like we thought. You're not a soulless, inhuman, monster. You know that I know better Di--." But her voice broke at my name.

Unexpectedly she lunged for me. She truly was the best guardian of her time. Anyone else would have faltered. I faltered, as a voice told me that I couldn't fight the woman I loved. Then I realized, if I did not she was going to kill me. She was going to kill me because of what I had made her believe I had become.

Her blow struck me hard in the chest and knocked me backward. "Rose, you have to stop!" I yelled at her. She ignored me, but tears glistened in her eyes as she struck again. Channeling into our training sessions, I detected her blow and promptly blocked it knocking her backward. She moved swiftly, anticipating my every move, as I anticipated hers. She had gotten stronger, and faster in my short absence. I quickly realized that I needed to subdue her to get her to listen to me. I could predict her moves, but she also predicted mine. We fought blow for blow for what felt like an eternity. At last I broke through and pinned her to the ground. Holding her down I said, "Roza, look at me!"

Tears streaking her face, she fought against me pressing the heel of her hand into my eye. My vision blurred slightly and I loosened my grip just enough that she was able to overpower me, rolling me over onto my back just as she had during her guardian training. She maneuvered the stake over my heart. I had to do something. Trying to grab the stake I plead, "Damn it Rose, what do you feel? Let yourself feel me."

Through grief-stricken sobs she said, "It doesn't matter what I feel anymore. This isn't you!" And then she drove the stake toward my struggling chest.


	12. Chapter 12

**I know that last cliffy was mean, sorry. I also couldn't let Dimitri remove the contacts too soon, I had to put the drama in there. Besides we had to know if Rose was really capable of killing Dimitri if she had to. You never know...he could still turn Strigoi before the end. **

**I'm starting to get writers block, so there may be more time between updates. I know what I want to happen next, I'm just struggling with putting it all together in the time frame of the story. I could have gone on with this chapter, but I think that I made you wait long enough to find out what happens to Dimitri, and who our little mystery man is, its not who you think. **

** This just makes me have to update soon.**

Chapter 12

Just as the point of the stake hit my skin her eyes grew wide. I'm not sure what made her do it. Whether it was the similarity between my struggles with her in the cabin the night we made love, or that she finally realized that she wasn't feeling ill, but faster than could have been imagined, the stake stopped its forceful plunge toward my heart. Instead it tracked its way down the right side of my chest gouging a scrape the whole way before she plunge it into the ground up to its hilt. I gasped with relief, panting from the tiresome fight and the pain searing at my side. I reached up and cupped her face in my hands pulling her lips down to mine. The kiss was full of love and desperation. I missed the touch of her skin. One of my hand snaked its way up the back of her neck becoming tangled in the dark silken mass, while my other hand slid down her cheek, caressing her shoulders. Her body trembled under my touch as my hand rested on the small of her back. Once I had swallowed every bit of her sent, I pulled her close to me in a tight embrace. Her tear streaked face nestled into the nape of my neck as she spoke, "Oh my god, Dimitri, I almost killed you!"

"Rosa…my Roza...I'm okay!" I labored to get out as I pulled her tighter to my chest forgetting about the others standing around us.

"Rose, what the hell are you doing? He will kill you!" I heard my younger sister Alena yell as she stampeded her way toward us on the ground.

Immediately Rose shielded me saying, "No! He isn't Strigoi! I swear! I can tell! I wouldn't let him live like that if he was!"

"You said it yourself, Rose, the Strigoi are becoming more powerful. They are getting bolder. Working differently than they ever have. How can you be so sure?" my other sister, Katya asked.

The Moroi Royal then spoke up as well, "I think she is right. I don't know what exactly is going on here, but he had plenty of opportunities to kill me, and didn't. He also saved me from a Strigoi attack. If he were Strigoi, he wouldn't have done that, no matter what. There is too much bloodlust, they cannot control it."

My family, still horror-struck at what they had just seen, slowly lowered their weapons.

Rose began to help me to my feet, but soon realized that my shirt was soaked in crimson liquid as blood oozed from my wound. "Dimitri, you're bleeding! Let me see," as she started to lift my shirt. I didn't want her to see the wound, knowing that she had caused it. And I wasn't sure exactly how bad it was. I held my shirt down, saying, "I'm fine Rose. It's just a scrape."

We went into the house and I drew the curtains. Everyone immediately turned to me wanting to know what the hell was going on. I promised that I would answer their questions, but not before I got answers of my own.

I turned to the Moroi Royal, "I cannot shake the familiar feeling that I have had since I first saw you. Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Lord Szelsky. I was at the academy over the holidays with my guardian," the Moroi Royal said.

"Szelsky! Jesus Christ. Janine Hathaway is your other guardian and she quit! She is one of—" I said exasperatedly.

"My mother quit?" Rose interrupted astonished. "She would never—"

"She did, well it's more of a sabbatical really. She did it so she could find you Rose," he said as he turned to face her.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "She has never cared about what I did."

"She got word from Headmistress Kirova that you left St. Vladimir's again. Initially she thought that you and Lissa went off gallivanting. She was pretty pissed that you would throw away your future like that. But when Headmistress Kirova said that you withdrew from school and left alone, she got very worried. She knows the bond between you and Lissa cannot be broken. She knew that there had to be something that drew you away. Between the reports she had read about relating to Victor Dashkov and the attacks at St. Vladimir's and your involvement in the defense, she worried that you were in more danger. She left to find you, Rose. She wanted, rather needed, to protect you." Lord Szelsky replied.

The room grew quiet while Rose digested what Lord Szelsky had told her. She was starting to realize that her mother really did care about her, more than what Rose was truly aware of.

While Rose and Lord Szelsky continued to speak, I went to the bathroom. Alena and Katya, still not sure if they could trust me, followed me and saw me remove the contacts from my eyes. Immediately they hugged me in a tight embrace. I was happy to be with my family again, but I was also reminded of the searing pain at my side. I recoiled from the hug grasping at my side. My sisters helped me to remove my shirt to access the damage from the stake. I was right not to have allowed Rose to see this. It was bad. The scrape was more like a gouge. My flesh was in jagged tears all the way down my right side. I was definitely going to need stitches. Katya went and got my grandmother while Alena started to help me clean the wound.

Having been a former guardian, my grandmother still had many of her guardian field supplies in her room. I followed her, where she immediately had me lie down on the table that used for her tarot card readings.

"She is special, Dimitri," she said as she stitched my side. "That Roza of yours."

"You have no idea," I replied.

"Oh, but I do," my grandmother said slyly. "She is not like others her age. She has experienced both life and death. She has connections to both realms. She is the key to all of ours future."

I grew thoughtful as my grandmother's words gnawed at me. Was this a warning? A premonition? Rose has been through so much already. I know that she is strong, but is she ready for this?


	13. Chapter 13

**Not a lot going on in this chapter. It just gives you a bit to think about. I hope to get back to a bit more action soon.**

Chapter 13

We stayed silent the rest of the time it took grandma to stitch me up. I got a fresh shirt from my room. It was still the same as when I left to become Ivan's guardian. A rustic looking, logged headboard and footboard nestled a full size bed against the wall of the small bedroom. The bed was overpowering in the small room, but when my 6 foot 7 frame had outgrown my small twin-sized bed, I figured I could at least sleep diagonally on this one without hanging off the end. A tanned chenille bedspread covered the bed completing the look. I chuckled lightly as I thought that Rose would have gotten a laugh out of the cowboy motif I had had as a young boy. My collection of western novels and spaghetti western movies still lined the bookshelves in the opposite corner. I sat on my bed for a brief moment taking it all in. I really missed the comforts of home.

After a last look around, I returned to the sitting room with everyone else. Not wanting to be away from her any longer I found my place right next to Rose. I interlaced my hand with hers as a I pulled her hand to my lips to give it a gentle kiss, at the same time inhaling as much of her sent as I could. It was so hard to just sit here next to her when all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her. I didn't know how long I was going to have to be away from her again.

Mom made a fresh batch of blini, and we all gathered around the platter. Once we were fed and relaxed, all eyes fell on me. Now it was my turn to answer questions. How was I going to do this? Rose had blamed herself when Mason was killed. And now I was about to tell her that she was the reason why I let myself get ambushed.

Finally I realized there was no easy way to do this. I locked eyes with Rose, and then I turned to my family and Lord Szelsky, "I have been working as an informant on the Strigoi since the attacks on St. Vladimir nearly two weeks ago. No one knows except one other person at St. Vladimir's. And if this goes wrong, which I think it just did, no one will come after me. I am completely on my own." I said hoping that that would be enough.

"What?" Rose shot out. Her face became twisted with so many emotions—concern, panic, love, fear.

"We weren't sure who we could trust. And with good reason too. So far I have found out that Sonya Karp and Mikhail Tanner led the attack on St. Vladimir's with more than a hundred freshly awakened human Strigoi. They suffered tremendous loss on our account," and I gave Rose's hand a gentle squeeze as I remembered how amazing she was in the fight. "They are currently planning an attack on the nearby Russian academy, that is why we, huh they, were hunting tonight. And--."

Lord Szelsky stood up, "We have to do something to stop them!" he said exasperated.

"I know, " I replied, "but there's more. They are being led by a Moroi."

"What? How the hell do you know that?" Rose asked infuriated.

"Well, first of all the humans that are helping them are being controlled by compulsion. Secondly, I overheard a conversation between Sonya and the leader. She was talking about Jesse being under some kind of spell." I said.

"Jesse Zelkos?" Rose asked. I could almost see her putting the whole thing together in her head. "That damn Mana group was part of the plan get the Strigoi onto the grounds. I'll kill him!" And I saw a tiny hint of that same rage I had witnessed in the cabin.

"Roza," I said as I pulled her closer to me, "Calm down. He didn't know what he was doing remember he was under a spell. He probably didn't even realize that he was helping however is controlling this. He was a pawn." I could still feel her trembling in anger but she was controlling her emotions as I held her tight.

"But the last piece of the puzzle came together this evening as I watched your incompetent guardian spar with those two Strigoi," I said as I motioned to Lord Szelsky. "What do you mean? I didn't see anything unusual. You kidnapped me before I even found out if my guardian survived," said Lord Szelsky.

"Those two Strigoi were working together to take you and your guardian down, until at one point during the fight they turned on each other," I said a bit triumphantly. "Right before they turned on each other I saw a medallion fall to the ground from the neck of one of the Strigoi. They are also having magic used on them. That is why they can work together in large numbers."

"He's an Earth user." Rose said exasperated.

I nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

**While the last couple of chapters were necessary to bring all the characters up to speed, I really felt like they lacked some, IDK, pizzazz. If you are someone who quit reading after Chapter 11, then your missing out. Enjoy and please review.**

Chapter 14

"Dimitri, it's Victor Dashkov!" Rose said vehemently.

"Roza, you know that he's in jail. You were at the hearing. There is no way--," I responded.

"Dimitri, come on! He convinced his own daughter to turn Strigoi. He was in jail when he got that note to me. You went with me when I met with him before the trial. You know how he toyed with us. 'I still have contacts. People can be bought off—' He's well aware of what's going on. He's orchestrating the whole thing. Why else would that blonde bastard Strigoi have been so infatuated with the thought of getting to Lissa?" Rose said emphatically.

"There is no way he could do all this from jail. He would have to have someone like, I don't know, the Queen helping him. And there is no way—" I said.

"Yes, but Priscilla would," my grandmother said. I had almost forgotten that my family was sitting there as we bantered back and forth. The shock of what she had said caused all eyes to fall on her.

"Priscilla Voda is still close to Queen Tatiana, is she not?" my grandmother asked.

Lord Szelsky responded, "Of course. They have been inseperable for years. What are you getting at, Sofiya?"

My grandmother responded, "Before I left the academy to start my family Victor and Priscilla were quite close. They had founded their own little Mana group. They crusaded for the right to use their powers in stronger ways. Their little group was disbanded and they were strongly reprimanded, but I'm sure they stayed in contact. Bonds like that don't break too easily."

Her words hung in the air as she broke off.

"Lord Szelsky, how is Ralf related to you?" Rose finally asked.

"He is my son, but—" Lord Szelsky responded.

"And Priscilla is your Aunt?" Rose questioned.

"Yes, but I don't see how any of this is related." He said becoming a bit more agitated.

"Jesse was not alone in starting the Mana group. Ralf was his partner. I know that Priscilla had contacted Ralf because of some of the things that he said to Christian and Adrian. It nearly caused a huge fight—a fight that nearly kept us from finding Lissa, and revealing the Mana group the night of the attack. What if she is involved? Is it that farfetched?" Rose asked.

"So now what?" Lord Szelsky asked defeated.

"Well, I have to go back. I need to find out if your guardian survived. If he did, I need to get you back together with him. If not, you should stay here until you contact Janine. Rose doesn't have her promise mark yet, but she is more than capable of protecting you. She has already killed more Strigoi than most guardians." I said.

"No. You. Are. Not!" Rose said heatedly. "You are not going back to that Strigoi lair without me."

"Rose, I will not take you to that house. It is too dangerous." I retorted.

"I am not some type of damsel in distress that needs to be protected," she said in her fearsome Rose demeanor. "I am just as strong as you are."

"Yes, but are you as in control?" I asked her. She bit her lip. She knew that I was right. She felt the rage boiling inside her.

"Fine, then lets go take them down now." She said.

"There's that fire again." I said as I half smiled at her and reached up to tousle her deep brown hair. "I know you want to go tear somebody apart, but we just can't go in there without a plan." But she wasn't the only one with that fire. I was looking at all the women in my life, and every single one of them looked as if they wanted to rip someone limb from limb.

Lord Szelsky decided to stay with my family. We had convinced him that if Priscilla was involved, this was probably the safest place for him. He contacted Janine Hathaway, and said that he had run into Rose. He said he would explain everything when she came to Russia. We made arrangements for me to meet back here tomorrow during the next Strigoi outing. Rose and I stood to leave. I tried to convince Rose to stay here, but she said that she already had a hotel room, and that it was far too crowded at my mother's house already. I didn't like the idea of Rose being in the city alone, but at least she had agreed to let me go back to the training camp alone. I only hoped that she would actually listen to me this time.

I walked her back to her hotel room, and we shared one last long passionate kiss before I had to return to the Maslenesta celebration. The kiss was full of emotion— fear in what we were facing, elation in the fact that we were together again, and love—oh how I loved her. My hands gripped her cheeks, holding her mouth to mine in desperation. I was overwrought with the power of the kiss. I knew I needed to get back. I had been MIA far too long already. If that other Strigoi had managed to turn the guardian, he would be looking for me, and Lord Szelsky. But at this moment all that mattered was Rose. She took my coat off me and it dropped to the floor as she shimmied out her black leather, riding jacket. I really liked that jacket. I brought my hands down to the base of her shirt and pulled all of its layers off in one motion. Her full breasts were held within a black lacy bra barely covering her nipples. I trailed my fingertips along the lace, allowing my index finger to dip below slightly brushing her aroused nipple. She shuddered with pleasure as she worked to remove my shirt… my pants…her pants.

I picked her up and carried her to the bed. Before long we were both naked and wrapped in each other's arms. My hands caressed every part of her body as her nails traveled the length of my torso making me quiver in delight. There was no beginning and no end. We were as if we were one person. She was my sole mate, my salvation, my love. I withdrew from the kiss and looked deep into her eyes. She met mine with the same vigor, same passion, same love as her body engulfed mine. Our bodies, entwined with one another, moved rhythmically probing each other until ultimately, we exploded with pure ecstasy.

We lay together in the euphoria of great sex for a while, my arms wrapped around her as I kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you Roza. Ti ne odna. Pomni, ya vsеgda ryadom." Ultimately, we knew that I needed to go. I would have much rather stayed here with her all night, but I knew that I may have already blown my cover.

I dressed quickly, stopping to kiss her between each garment I put on. Begging her to put clothes on as well, otherwise I was likely to strip my clothes off and take advantage of her all over again. She just laughed with some of that old Rose vibrato, and chose to stay as she was, driving me crazy. She knew I had hard time resisting her.

**After that, I think I need a cold shower. You may not hear from me for days.** **Sigh Sigh!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here is another chapter. I am not sure if I really like it, but it needs to be there to get Dimitri back to his cover. I am having a hard time putting my final chapters together. This has really turned into more of story now than part of my original theory. I have been rereading some parts of the series to make sure that I stay within character. As a result I found that I made an oops. Ralf is not a Szelsky, he is a Sarcozy, so I will probably have to go back and make some minor adjustments to that portion of the storyline. Sorry!! Please review this chapter. Your reviews help to inspire me to write more.** **Thanx for reading and enjoy!**

Chapter 15

It took every ounce of control I had to resist Rose while I finished getting ready to leave. I went into the bathroom to replace the red contacts, as well as prepare myself for the story that I had created explaining why I was so late and empty-handed. When I returned to the room, Rose had fallen asleep. I walked over to the bed and placed the sheet delicately over her naked flesh. I draped it lightly over her well-toned thigh and ass exposing her heart-shaped calves and delicate feet. The top of the sheet skimmed the curve of her full breast exposing her back resting just below the small of her back as she lay on her side facing away from me. She was a picture of beauty. I bent down and kissed her on the forehead. When I reached the door, I turned for one last look. Then I left, confident that for once, she would listen to me and stay put.

I called Alberta on my way back to the Maslenitsa celebration. The phone rang again one, two, three, four times before she finally picked up. "Dimitri?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes, I almost didn't think you were going to answer." I responded.

"Princess Dragomir, Mr. Ozera, and Mr. Ivoshkov were just in my office along with Novice Castile. I was questioning them again about Rose's whereabouts. They still claim they have no idea where she is, but somehow I don't believe this. Ms. Carmack tells me that Mr. Ivoshkov can communicate with others through their dreams. Given his relationship with Rose, no doubtedly he has contacted her and knows where she is, but he isn't talking given that he has no formal ties to the school. Your call gave me a convenient way to excuse them without letting them think they were off the hook entirely," she responded.

"I know where Rose is," I said. But the news of Adrian visiting Rose in her dreams was a bit unsettling.

Alberta was silent as realization hit. "What happened?"

"She nearly killed me. She's even faster and stronger than she was on the quad." I said with a proud air.

"How on Earth did you get her to stop?" Alberta asked in amazement.

"I reminded her to use all of her gifts for fighting Strigoi. She realized I wasn't making her nauseous like the Strigoi do. At the last possible moment she veered the stake to the right giving me a nasty gouge down my right side instead of a hole through the heart," I said in a tone that bolstered mentor-student relationship. "So send someone to get her and take her back to the academy so she can finish her training."

"I can't do that anymore, Dimitri. She is no longer a student here." Alberta said with a regretful tone. "It is shame to lose someone so talented. No other novice, let alone a female, has ever fought so passionately. "

"Fine," I retorted. "Then tell them that you need to send guardians to pick up Lord Szelsky in a small town near Siberia, given that he was recently kidnapped and is currently without guardians. Then they can take Rose as a bonus."

"What did you do?" Alberta asked enunciating every word as if each were its own sentence.

"I kidnapped Lord Szelsky while his guardian fought off the Strigoi I was with. I don't know if his guardian made it or not, because as the fight ensued it became clear that the loss of the medallion by the Strigoi caused him to become much more aggressive. He killed the other Strigoi with one blow and turned on the guardian."

"The Strigoi are wearing medallions. This means the Moroi is an Earth user." Alberta said.

"I know. Alberta, Victor is an Earth user. He used a charm similar to this to keep Rose and I away from helping Lissa last fall. I think he is involved." I said.

"Dimitrti, that is impossible, he is in jail." Alberta retorted.

"Not if he has help."

"Who?" she asked.

I explained everything that we had discussed at my mother's house, and that Lord Szelsky was staying there while I returned to the Strigoi.

Finally she said, "Well, between kidnapping Lord Szelsky, revealing yourself to your entire family, and your near death experience with Rose, I would say that you have had an eventful day. I will have to reveal the plan in order to send some guardians. This could put you at more risk, if what you think is true because I am required to report every dispatch of guardians to the Royal Court."

"Thank you. I will try to reach you again as soon as possible." I said hanging up and sliding the phone back in the pocket of my duster.

By the time I had gotten back to the Maslenitsa celebration it was nearly 3:00 in the morning in the human world. The majority of the town's people were already gone. There were only a few of the diehard partygoers left. I worried about Lord Szelsky's guardian, silently hoping that he had staked the Strigoi, but from what I saw of the fight, I'm not sure how likely that outcome would be. I made my way back to where we had ambushed Lord Szelsky and his incompetent guardian. This area, once so packed with people, was now completely deserted. As I started to turn to walk back to the vehicle, the medallion shimmered in the remnant light of the bon fire. I promptly picked it up. It was on a thick leather cord. The medallion was about an inch and half in diameter and as thick as two silver dollars stacked on top of one another. On one side of the medallion was a screech owl representing the Strigoi. The other side of the medallion carried the Russian quote, "Eternal peace lasts only until the next war". I looked around to see if there was any evidence to indicate the outcome of the fight between the Strigoi and the guardian, but nothing else drew my attention.

Cautiously I walked back to where the van had been parked. If the Strigoi is still alive, he is undoubtedly going to be pretty pissed at how long I was away, and returning without any new recruits. If the guardian is alive, he will be waiting for me ready to stake me in the heart. Either way I'm in for another fight this evening.

**Just wanted to give you one last note. In watching an interview with Richelle Mead she said that she was inspired to write this series by some research she did in college involving Romanian vampire mythology. I looked this up and found that the word strigoi was used to describe the dead vampires and that the word means screech owl--hence the screech owl on the medallion.** **Again, I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic. Thank you Richelle for inspiring me!**


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter is a bit short compared to some of the ones I have writing recently. I have been having a strangled bout of writers block. I had a completely different chapter written, but I really didn't like the way it was going, so I rewrote it. Also, this has another one of those rather "bad" cliffy's at the end. But it has sparked new ideas, that may help me to update sooner. I hope to finish the story before Book 4 comes out in a week. Please review!!**

Chapter 16

As I got in line with the van, the door slid open and the unruly Strigoi launched himself at me. Ready for the attack, I quickly flipped out of his way landing in an offensive position. As much as I wanted to rip him limb from limb, I still needed to try to maintain my cover. The Strigoi's drawl came at me in an accusatory tone, "Dimitri, I am so glad that you finally decided to grace me with your presence—" his deep red rimmed eyed darted around, as if he were searching for something, and his body convulsed impulsively as he spoke the last words, "—and without any morsels for company!" The way that he said "morsels" turned my stomach. It was obvious that he spent the night feeding.

He lunged at me again, but his recent bout of gorging on human blood had made him clumsier than the average Strigoi. Although Moroi blood was the blood of choice, human blood would also strengthen them, but too much at one time made them as disoriented as a newly awakened Strigoi. He had more superhuman strength at the moment than before the ravenous bout of feeding, but he didn't know how to use it. I easily predicted the attack and landed a counter blow to his chest, he stumbled back slightly causing us to move away from the vehicle and toward the outlying areas of the Maslenitsa celebration. I couldn't continue to fight him without any weapons. Eventually he would realize that he was stronger than me because I was not a Strigoi. Immediately I started to recount the story I had fabricated while in the bathroom at the hotel, "I was trying to get the Moroi back to the van, when we were attacked by his other guardian," I blurted out as he charged me with his next blow. I quickly diverted the attack, swiping his leg out from under him knocking him to the ground.

"He nearly killed me!" I yelled lifting my shirt to expose the blood soaked bandages. While in the bathroom at the hotel, realizing that I had been MIA for hours, I was going to have to have a legitimate story. I found one of Rose's weapons in the bathroom and prodded at the bandages until the gouge in my chest started to ooze blood again. It hurt like hell, and I am sure that I ripped some of the stitches in the process, but I had to make it look convincing.

It worked…or so I thought. The Strigoi stopped the attack staring transfixed on the bloody bandages. He slowly got to his feet keeping his eyes on my bandaged chest. I continued with the story as he got to his feet. "I went to a night club down the road and using their first aid kit, stitched myself up in the bathroom. Do you know how difficult it is to give your—" I didn't get to finish my question. His eyes glazed over fury filling them. His body vibrated with the uncontrollable need to taste my blood. He pounced on me like a hungry lion knocking me backward as his hands locked around my neck. His fangs bore down on me, and my mind filled with utter blackness.


End file.
